Improvement in sewing-machines



Patented May I, 1855.

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UNITED STA ES ATENT OFFICE.

" eno. w. STEDMAN, or

VIENNA, NEW JnRsEY.

IMPROVEMENT 'lN SEWING-MACHINES2 Specification forming part of Lcttcrs Patent No. 123798, dated May 1, 1855.

To aZZ whom. it may concern:

Figure 1 being a 'side elevation of asewingmachine constructed with my improvements; Fig. 2, a'plan of one end of the machine, the upper or cloth plate being removed to show the parts beneath; Fig. 3, a vertical section of the driving-shaft, through the center of the feeding-pin and of the driving-eccentric; Fig. 4, a plan of the regulating-cam; Fig. 5, a view of the underside of the cloth-holder; Fig. 6, a plan of a portion of the cloth-plate, showing the top of the driving-shaft and of the feeding-pin below; Figs? and 8, views showing modifications of the manner of arranging the feeding contrivance. Like letters designate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in feeding the cloth or other material along bymeans of a pin or its equivalent playing in arevolvingshaft, which atthe propermoment in each revolution bringsit in contact with a station ary cam or its equivalent, whereby the pin is pressed into the cloth, but again recedes therefrom as soonas freed from said cam, the cam being arranged so that it will hold the pin against the cloth a greater or less distance at pleasure, and thus regulate the length of stitch,

substantially as hereinafter set forth.

A little to .onesideof the position of the needle as it descends through the cloth or other material to be sewed, but as nearthereto as it can conveniently be, a vertical shaft, B, is located, and is provided with a pulley,

A, or its equivalent, for driving the machine.

An eccentric, C, is secured to this shaft, and a rod, D, connected therewith by a collar, f. The proj ecting end of said rod receives a pivot, g, on the extremity of an arm, G, which vibrates on a vertical' axis, H. The pivot 9 also passes through one end oi a'rod, F, the other end of which is pivoted to the yertical yarm of a bent lever, N. Said lever moves on a fulcrum, 7c, and, being shaped and arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 1, carries the needle at the extremity of its hori= zontal arm. .As the driving-shaft B revolves, the eccentric 0 causes this lever to vibrate, and thus work the needle. By thesame means the the arm G is caused to vibrate, and another arm, I, attached to its axis I-I, receives a similar motion for the purpose of working the looper L, which it bears on its vibratory end.

The. looper L is constructed and operates sub.

stantially in the same manner as the finger or looper desoribed in the Letters Patent for an impr'oved sewing-machine, granted to me the 20th day of March, 1855, except that I put a second spring, Z, in addition to the spring t on the opposite side thereof. These two springs perform precisely the same office as the single spring, but form the loop a little more evenly by drawing on both sides at the same time. The pin or rod a, by which the cloth or other material is fed along to the needle, is inserted nearly in a vertical position in the shaft B; but its lower end should extend away from i the shaft to allow it to reach the cam M, which must be sufficiently distant from said shaft for the purpose of adjustment, as presently to be described, and the upper end of said pin should be far enough from the center of the shaft to give it suflicient sweep for movingthe cloth with a cam of convenient size, and to do this with as little change of direction as practicable while acting on the cloth. WVhen the pin is free from the cam, it drops by its own weight, or with the assistance of a slight spring,

I), just enough to bring it below the plate on which the cloth rests. Then, as the shaft B revolves in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the lower end of the pin strikes the cam M, and is lifted endwise thereby sufficiently to push its upper end, h, which is pointed or notched, into and move along the cloth by its lateral motion. The supporting cloth-plate is provided with a curved slot, m, as shown in Fig. 6, for the pin to move in while it remains raised by its cam, and another aperture, n, is made therein for the reception of the needle, so that as small a portion of said plate as possible shall be cut away. The

lower side of the pressing plate 8 may be grooved slightly in the right direction of the feeding-motion, as seen at o 0 in Fig. 5, in order to obviate any tendency which the curved motion of the feeding-pin may produce, to move the cloth in any other direction. The

' cam in any position it may be placed in. The

ridge 0 of the cam is made narrow on the inside, next to the shaft B, and uniibrmlywidened outward from said shaft, or vice versa. The narrow end of the rit ge should be of such width as to produce the shortest stitch desired by the feeding-pin passing over it, and the wide end thereof should be wide enough to produce the longest stitch ever required. To vary the length of stitch to any length reuired it is only necessary to move the camlcver on its pivot 0 one way or the other, and the unequal width of the ridge produces the desired result.

Figs. 7 and 8 represent modifications which I contemplate in the manner of arranging the above-described feeding eontrivance by using a horizontal instead of a vertical shaft. Thus in Fi 7 the pin a passes transversely through the shaft 1 in such a direction that its lower end, as seen in the figure, will strike the end of a screw, M, while the extremity h, which acts against the cloth, will pass by without touching said screw as it in turn goes round.

. It is evident that by moving the screw M forward, while the shaft B turns in the direction indicated by the arrow, the extremity of the pin a will remain a longer time in contact therewith, and consequently produce a longer stitch; but by turning the screw back a shorter stitch will be producedin consequence of the diminished extent of contact between it and said pin. In Fig. 8, instead of a sliding pin,

the piece a is inserted longitudinally in the side of the shaft 13 and vibrates on a )ivot u, the end h, which enters the cloth, being bent up in a vertical dirccti on for the purpose, and the opposite end striking laterally against its cam M.

The lever I, Fig. 1, by which the plate S is pressed down upon the cloth or other material, has its axis resting upon the pointed tops of two short supports, so that it can rock thereon, as seen at t, and the lever is held in place by means of a rod, Q, extending upward from the upper plate of the machine through it, and of a nut, s, screwed down thereon. The necessary elasticity is produced by inserting adisk, p, or india-rubber, under the nut a The force of the spring is varied by more or less compressing the india-rubber. The upper portion or plate of the machine rests on four small columns or supports, as indicated by dotted lines a in Fig. 1, and secured there by a rod, T, passing down through both parts, and a nut screwed 011 the lower end thereof.

\Vliat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Feeding the cloth or other material along by means of a pin, a, or its equivalent playing in a revolving shaft, B, which at the proper moment in each revolution brings it in contact with a stationary cam, M, or its equivalent, whereby the pin is pressed into the cloth, but again recedes therefrom as soon as freed from the cam, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The cam M, constructed substantially as described, when arranged upon a movable arm or its equivalent, so that by simply adjusting its position the length of stitch can be varied at the will of the operator.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 31st day of March, 1855.

' Gno. w. ,TEDMAN.

in presence oftnanmc BELL, ALrHEUs CLAUSON; 

